Sleep Apnea and Hunting ?

[MT_Chad]

I'm in almost the best hunting shape I've been in my life...have had apnea for 10+ years and have never been overweight. Sleep doctor said its because of thicker neck (TWSS). Always thought it was super overweight people that had sleep apnea, but definitely not always the case.

Yeah, my sleep doc told me between the size of my neck and my slightly enlarged tonsils, I didn't have a lot of real estate in my throat. It made sense, when I bulked up in college playing football, my snoring got really bad.

 

[MarvB]

One of my hunting partners had the same snore/poor sleep symptoms and went to an ENT in town for help.
She said he had the “velum and uvula of a horse, both in thickness and length” he replied “well damn, the comparison unfortunately stops there!” I laughed my ass off, she evidently not so much.

Anyhoo, they went in with a laser and basically reshaped the back of his throat and he said it was life changing…feels more alert, more energy, not always congested anymore, etc. I had never heard of this procedure before

 

[robsev]

I bought this little power pack off of Amazon. 10” long, 4” wide and 6”high, along with a small foldable solar panel. I can make it one night on a full charge. Plug it in to the solar panel right away in the morning and it’s fully charged before the sun goes down.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I bought this little power pack off of Amazon. 10” long, 4” wide and 6”high, along with a small foldable solar panel. I can make it one night on a full charge. Plug it in to the solar panel right away in the morning and it’s fully charged before the sun goes down.

What's it weigh?

 

[Mlgrace]

I use a cpap also. I have a small solar panel and a small power pack. As long as there is some sun I get by pretty well.

 

[JAG]

What's it weigh?

It's between 5.95 and 5.5 lbs. The ad displays two different weights.

 

[Bldrinker]

Look into buying a jackery. Both my brother in laws have them for overland info and they swear by them.

You won’t be putting that into a back pack though.

 

[robsev]

What's it weigh?

Not really very much. 2-3 pounds

 

[Johnny Bravo]

I've just been diagnosed w moderate to severe sleep apnea. I'm 47 years old, in good health and not overweight. For the last 2 years I've been snoring really bad and I can sleep 8 hrs a day and still need a mid day nap. I don't have alot of energy.
I'm on a waiting list for a cpap machine. I've researched the mouth guard option but I've heard alot of people cant tolerate the mouth guard and it can cause other problems.
I'm really nervous how being tied to a cpap machine will hinder my back country hunting trips?
Do you guys have any advice or are dealing w the same prob.

I have literally been researching this for some time now and I believe I have come up with a very usable solution. I see someone else even mentioned the battery pack I'm coming across and the one I think is the best solution is the Aimtom SPS-155. The one thing you have to make sure is that there is not a 10w auto shut off that some have and the Aimtom does not have this. You also need to make sure you use DC power.

The issue I'm seeing now is that it's unavailable, not sure why. My plan is to get 2 of the packs and the foldable 60W charger. Some of the data I have seen states you can get 4-5 nights on 1 single charge and then recharge the unit in 8-12 hours. I figured buy 2 for safety in case something happens to one of them

If you are truck camping and not back country you can just charge it while you drive around too. Make sure the unit you get it 12volt and not 24 volt, make sure that you don't use the humidifier either...hopefully you don't require it. I figured with the cpap, 2 battery packs and the 60W charger it's less than 10 pounds extra for back country.

 

[Wrong Burgundy]

I've just been diagnosed w moderate to severe sleep apnea. I'm 47 years old, in good health and not overweight. For the last 2 years I've been snoring really bad and I can sleep 8 hrs a day and still need a mid day nap. I don't have alot of energy.
I'm on a waiting list for a cpap machine. I've researched the mouth guard option but I've heard alot of people cant tolerate the mouth guard and it can cause other problems.
I'm really nervous how being tied to a cpap machine will hinder my back country hunting trips?
Do you guys have any advice or are dealing w the same prob.

Same situation. Wife would wake me up due to snoring like a chainsaw. Got worse over a year or two. This was almost 11 years ago. I am also 47 (now) and at the time after a sleep study, they said I have two options: CPAP or surgery. I am 6'1", 194 lbs. Climb, hike, hunt, fish, camp, bike year round. Not overweight at all. But I do have a messed up palate (too narrow apparently), and needed some serious overhauling in the nasal/throat area to provide enough space when sleeping. Your whole neck, jaw, tongue, etc. relaxes during sleep and can cause serious issues. Unchecked apnea is tied to strokes and heart attacks, not to mention feeling like crap during the day due to fatigue.

I ended up going the surgery route, because of the things I want to do outside and most involves a fair amount of travel (work and play) and I didn't want to mess with a device and batteries, cleaning it, etc. All in, I had 5 procedures done, including a Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) surgery; google that one. Rough recovery, lots of pain, but I don't snore now or have for the last decade and am very glad I did it. Something to consider vs. a CPAP, but I know of many people who use a CPAP and it changed their lives for the better. Talk to an Ear/Nose/Throat doctor and see what they say.

 

[dannyb278]

My wife suffers from sleep apnea and i go sleep in the back country to escape it!

In all seriousness though, i feel for ya, especially around the fatigue. When my buddy finally got his CPAP machine, it helped almost immediately. His blood pressure dropped, he stopped having to get up in the middle of the night to pee (because his body was actually registering itself in sleep mode) and he remarked that he "forgot what a real good nights sleep actually was"

It might add some additional considerations to your back country hunt, but I'm sure it will make the rest of your life so much better. Best of luck.

 

[SwaggyD]

In all serious though, i feel for ya, especially around the fatigue. When my buddy finally got he CPAP machine, it helped almost immediatly. His blood pressure dropped, he stopped having to get up in the middle of the night to pee (because his body was actually registering itself in sleep mode) and he remarked that he "forgot what a real good nights sleep actually was"

This perfectly describes my experience with getting my cpap machine 5 years ago.

To the OP, if you are camping where you can have a deep cycle batter, the alligator clip attachment may work well also.

 

[Bountyhunter]

Resmed N30 nasal mask and new lightweight machines with solar panel and lightweight lithium battery

 

[Gunner46]

Here's the truth my Brother. Apnea is a Real Deal, you better take it seriously. I ignored it (even with a family history) and then wound up in the hospital for 3 days because I got to the point I was so tired I could barely even walk into ER!
Low hemoglobin, no oxygen in the blood stream. You stop breathing, no air, you get weak, you wind up where I did. Don't go there, please.

Adjust, Adapt, Overcome.

The hunt shall continue if you want it to......

 

[Sytes]

I believe I may have apnea however, it changes based on my sleep position. If I sleep on my back I've woken suddenly, gasping for breath. if I sleep on my side or front downward, no problem. I'm not sure if it's damage to my nerves from back in 2012 or apnea.

Spoke with an ENT doc for a hearing test and he viewed my throat during the process. He inquired if I had trouble sleeping. I wasn't interested as I didn't know the doc. The setting had me thinking he was looking for new patients / upsell something or another so I downplayed my setting. He replied if I begin experiencing symptoms as I've described above, I should see a doc. He left it at that and continued with my hearing exam.

Reading this thread has reminded me to set an appointment to learn if it's something (else) to hassle with or continue with the status quo.

Good thread. To the OP and those in the same boat, best with your research.

 

[Trigger50]

I basically use a RV/marine battery with a invertor. I can get 3-4 nights per battery with no recharge. To charge I simply hook jumper cables and run for a bit while I cook dinner. Then I have had a single last a week.

Treedagain-
I'm leaning towards this option because I already have marine batteries for my boat. What kind of invertor do you recommend? Electrical things are like Greek to me? Thanks for any tips.

 

[SwaggyD]

Treedagain-
I'm leaning towards this option because I already have marine batteries for my boat. What kind of invertor do you recommend? Electrical things are like Greek to me? Thanks for any tips.

I was able to find alligator clips that hook onto the battery from a cpap store. The other end us just like my normal cord that just plugs into my machine. It was like $20.

 

[Trigger50]

That sound easy and great ! Sorry I'm dumb w electrical stuff. Doesnt the cpap run off 120v but the battery is 12v ?

 

[Trigger50]

I think this is it !

 

[SwaggyD]

I think this is it !View attachment 226201

That’s it!!